Eman Al-Obeidi, 26 years old lawyer, was gang-raped by 15 of Qaddafi’s men. She bravely marched into Tripoli hotel and exposed these beasts and what they did to her in front of foreign journalist. She then was dragged away by Qaddafi’s agents.  Libyan authority afterwards denied and rejected her claims, accusing her of being “drunk” and “mentally ill”!

Eman’s case was adopted by individuals and groups on the internet, calling for her release.  A petition, signed so far by 378, 400, on Avaaz.org is to urge the Turkish government to help Eman after their success in negotiating the freedom of foreign reporters.

“Why did she do that?” I was asked by a male. “Why did she expose herself to such humiliation?” A woman I know told me “She is better off being dead; after all she has already lost everything!” Both of my acquaintances were cruel- the least I can say!

There is no humiliation to a woman’s dignity like rape; it breaks a woman’s soul. But accepting such humiliation is a bigger one; the first is inflected on you, the second you inflect on yourself.

Eman bravely stood up and faced her attackers- symbolically- by speaking out and exposing them to the world. Many other women in different parts of the world had gone through what Eman went through and maybe worse but couldn’t talk about it. They were indoctrinated to believe that rape is a shame that they brought to themselves and their families. The honor of a woman in some cultures is believed to reflect on the honor of her family, tribe, and male relatives. And rape consequently brings shame to all of them. What Eman did by speaking out is to break such decayed frame of mind. Her courage has rubbed on her family, who has been supporting her publically, leading to altering people’s perception of such cases.  

Eman now is considered a symbol of the Libyan revolution. All it took is one courageous lady who refused to accept the injustice that befell on her and stay silent. Eman’s cry carries all women’s cries against violence, especially sexual violence against women.

But Eman is still in the hands of her aggressors. In a country where human souls are worth no more than a bullet, human’s dignity is worth nothing. So we pray that Eman returns unharmed- or with no further harm.

This is another story about violence against women. This is another story where rape is used as a weapon. This is another story that proves that some humans have no souls.